Winters Tale
by Cairo Sinclair
Summary: Olivia Winters has a normal life... until she meets Bruce Wayne and has a bad encounter with the Joker!
1. Chapter 1

**Winters Tale**

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**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Dark Knight... except on DVD...**

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I stepped into my tiny apartment, making sure I locked the door behind me. My cat Vince rushed up to me and headbutted me in the knee. I peeked in the kitchen, and sure enough, he had eaten all his food. I refilled his food bowl and he meowed in gratitude.

I went into the small den, one of the four rooms in my apartment, and hit the button on the answering machine.

"_You have two new messages. First message sent today at 9:47 a.m."_

The phone beeped and I heard my best friend Cheryl's voice.

"Hey, Livy, I, um, kind of have a problem, see there's this party at Bruce Wayne's place and I got an invite to give to my manager but Jake and I kind of broke up this morning-" she paused for breath, "-and so I was wondering if you'd be my manager just temporarily? I know how much you like Bruce Wayne and I thought you'd want to come. I mean, not that you have to or anything, but if you don't have anything else to do maybe you could come? Okay, it's tonight at nine, so we can go shopping-"

There was a beep, then _"End of message. Next message sent today at 9:48 a.m."_

"Livy, your answering machine cut me off again. You've really got to check on that! Anyway, like I was saying, we can go shopping today to get you something to wear for the party. I'll pick you up at three, okay? Bye!"

"_End of messages."_

Ooh, Bruce Wayne! Of course I was going! I checked my watch. Three o clock on the dot! As if on cue, a car horn beeped outside. I grabbed my purse and rushed out to meet Cheryl.

Okay, here's the thing: Cheryl Carmichael and I have been friends since we were in grade five. And she was always the one who liked to shop. Me? I'd prefer to spend my time doing just about anything else. We're total opposites, me and her, even down to the little things. Like, she's blond and I'm brunette. She's short (petite, she calls it) and I'm five eight. She sings, I play guitar. She's pretty rich and famous, I have to work in a comic book store to pay the rent. She has, or had, a steady boyfriend (her manager Jake, who apparently she just broke up with) and I just have Vince. The list goes on and on. But she's still my best friend and she's probably going to want me to blend in with the other rich people, so... shopping it is!

Of course, her idea of "something to wear" is something a very fancy slut would wear. Short, strapless, and extremely expensive. Fortunately, I managed to talk her out of that. We checked out some nice, cheap dresses and I found one I liked. It was silvery blue with a halter top and came down to just past my knees. Cheryl insisted I come to her house so she could "do my hair". She ended up doing my hair, my makeup, and lending me a pair of shoes becuase I conveniently forgot to buy any. We left right at nine to be fashionably late.

"This is going to be sooo cool! Remember, you're my manager okay? Just pretend like you're not a random comic book person and try to fit in! Oh my god, we're here!" Cheryl squealed in my ear.

"Cheryl? Have you ever met Bruce Wayne?" I asked curiously.

"Of course! Like, fifty times!" she chirped. I raised an eyebrow. "Well, no," she admitted. "But I did sing at a party he hosted once! I never got to talk to him, though. But he invited me! So I must have impressed him!"

"I bet you did," I assured her.

Like she said, this was going to be sooo cool!

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**So, what do you think? Review please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Winters Tale**

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**DISCLAIMER: Still don't own Dark Knight... wish I did...**

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We got to the party a bit late. Cheryl hurried me into the elevator. I wanted to stick around and enjoy the experience.

"Do I look okay?" she hissed at me, checking her reflection in the shiny walls of the elevator.

"You look fine, Cheryl."

"Fine for everyday, maybe, but this is Bruce Wayne we're talking about!"

"Jeez, Cheryl, calm down. You. Look. Great. Okay?"

She scowled at me. The elevator doors slid open with a beep. A man was standing by the door of the penthouse, checking invitations.

"What's your name?" he asked, leering at Cheryl. She was wearing the exact opposite of my dress; hers was very revealing and bright pink.

"Cheryl Carmichael," she said, giggling. I rolled my eyes. The man glanced at me. "And you?"

"Olivia Winters," I answered.

He checked a clipboard. "I don't have you on my list."

"She's my manager," Cheryl said.

"Oh, alright. Go on in, you two." He shot another glance at Cheryl. We pushed open the doors and went in.

As soon as we got in, Cheryl saw someone she knew and wandered off to talk to him. I was now at a party where the only person I knew had decided to go off without even introducing me to anyone. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem, I wasn't the kind of girl who would stand in a corner and people-watch, but these people were all rich and famous! So, I stood in the corner waiting for someone who looked as out of place as me so I could talk to them. A man in a tuxedo approached me, carrying a tray of champagne.

"Something to drink?" he offered. He had a very nice English accent.

"No thanks. I mean, unless you have something non-alcoholic?" I asked hopefully.

He smiled a little. "We have some soda in the kitchen."

"Could I have some gingerale? But in a champagne glass just to fit in?" I asked.

"All right," he said and went off in the direction of what I assumed was the kitchen.

Now, I'm not some kind of little kid pretending to be a grownup. I actually have a problem with alcohol. It makes me really dizzy after one sip. So if I go to a club with Cheryl and some other friends, I'm always the designated driver. But everyone else was holding a glass of champagne even if they weren't drinking it, and Cheryl had told me to try to fit in...

Just then, the man (who I assumed was some kind of butler) reappeared. "Your gingerale, miss," he said.

"Thanks, um..."

"Alfred, miss."

"Thanks a lot, Alfred." He smiled and melted back into the crowd with his tray of champagne, heading in the direction of a tall blond man and his date. The man looked kind of familiar... where have I seen him before... Oh my gosh! It's Harvey Dent! Cheryl spotted me and came over.

"Sorry for abandoning you, Livy. It's just-"

"Look, Cheryl, it's Harvey Dent!" I hissed in her ear.

"Oh, yeah, this is some kind of fundraiser for him."

"And you didn't tell me this because?" I looked at her, waiting for an answer.

"I figured you knew already! It's been on the news for like a week!"

I winced. I had heard that Bruce Wayne was throwing a fundraiser for our new DA, but I apparently hadn't put two and two together. My bad. This was shaping up to be a pretty cool party: I had the chance to meet Bruce Wayne _and_ my idol since I dropped out of law school, Harvey Dent!

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**Another chapter come and gone. I know nothing really has happened so far, but it's just getting set up. Please review and I'll credit you!**

**Thanks to my only reviewer so far, hayleypattinsoncullen.**


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